By Jessica B. Natad, Staff Member (The Freeman August 27, 2010)CEBU, Philippines - A group of Cebuano businessmen and leaders are working together in a newly-established organization that aims to help provide an alternative source of livelihood to the marginalized sector of society.Permaculture Action Asia Inc. (PAAI), a non-government, non-profit social enterprise, duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that sees permaculture as a solution to help ease poverty in the country.Permaculture is a design system for creating sustainable human environment. It aims to create stable productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with the people, according to a statement.“In permaculture, the ecological processes of plants, animals, water, weather and nutrient cycles are integrated with human needs and technologies for food, energy, shelter and infrastructure. Elements in a system are viewed in relation to other elements, and the outputs of one element become the input of another. Within permaculture systems, work is minimized, wastes become resources, productivity and yields increase and the environment is restored.”PAAI aims to make Cebu a world leader in sustainable development by reforesting the province and ensuring food security for every Cebuano. This mission is in line with the United Nation Agenda 21 on sustainability, which means “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”The program, which will commence in the province in January 2011, will provide free permaculture courses and distribute seeds and plants to the low-income beneficiaries.PAAI aims to implement the program region-wide in 2012 and nationwide in 2013.PAAI will have eight permaculture demonstration sites to be located all over the province. The flagship site, the 64-hectare model eco-village Cebu Eco-Culture Club, which will be located in Buhisan, Pardo, will showcase the five zones of permaculture, and will house 40 beneficiary-families.The organization is chaired by Greg Knibbs, an accredited practitioner in Permaculture Institute, who also has ongoing projects with communities, NGOs and private companies in West Africa , Cambodia and Australia .Other personalities involved in the program are former Department of Environment and Natural Resources 7 director Joe Gapas, former chair of the Cebu City Council Committee of Environmental Management Nestor Archival, former Cebu Educational Development for Information Technology executive director Boni Belen, Cebu Landmasters Inc. president Joe Soberano, Rotary Club of Cebu president Baba Panopia, Tennant Trading Inc. chairman Roy Lotzof, Primary Software Development Corp. president Angelico Jurado and Hyundai Cebu Inc. president Edward Onglatco.The program’s management team is composed of Jensen Go Chow (www.JensenChow.com), Michael Gatchalian, Jonel Villanueva and Vicente Orillo Jr. PAAI’s partners include the Rotary Club of Cebu and Cebu Leads Foundation. (THE FREEMAN)

"Permaculture is an idea whose time has come (again!) it is a way of life that keeps in complete harmony with nature, just how our forefathers used to live until "development" got in the way. We need to relearn how to live sensibly: husbanding our resources judiciously, using only what is necessary, reusing those that can be salvaged, disposing of waste carefully, and always allowing nature to renew itself. It wasn't too long ago that our people lived this way and it should not be too difficult for our generation to see the wisdom of their ways."

Omar Maxwell Espina

Dean of College of Architecture and Fine Arts

University of San Carlos

"Permaculture should be made as a way of life for everyone. It sums-up sustainable environmental protection, effective waste management, continuous abundant food production, and food security. It is the ultimate land use design for natural resources management system that merge forestry, agroforestry, soil management, slope stabilization design, agronomic engineering practices and agriculture. Green Earth, Bountiful Harvest, and Clean Environment for Humanity to Live and Prosper - the final fruit of Permaculture."

Vicente L. Orillo Jr.

Former College of Forestry Instructor, Mindanao State University, Marawi City (5 years)

Forestry and Project Management Services Consultant, Cebu (18 years)

"Greg Knibbs Permaculture course was one of the modules used in the program to assist local communities in the vicinity of the Tampakan copper-gold project in the southern Philippines to increase the effectiveness of their livelihood projects. The course was well received, effective and added value. Greg’s teaching style and willingness to live and work with remote communities gained him great respect. I can recommend his course."Tony RobbinsPresidentSE Asia (formerly MD) Indophil Resources NL.

"Without Mr. Greg Knibbs, we doubt if permaculture would ever be introduced to Bohol, Philippines. He single-handedly brought this concept to us through his untiring efforts and evangelistic zeal that are very much admirable. He volunteered his services free of charge to teach a Permaculture Design Course made possible by a mutual acquaintance of Mr. Knibbs and Mr. Calos Echavez, the Executive Director of Bol-anon Foundation Inc. Mr. Echavez took upon himself to inform a core group of 27 enthusiasts to a two-day introduction course in Permaculture taught by Mr. Knibbs on April 5-6, 1997, in the capital city of Tagbilaran, Bohol."Mequias J. DelimanPresidentPermaculture Institute of the Philippines

You can assist PermacultureActionAsia's mission as a volunteer in our administration office or on demonstration sites. International volunteers are welcome who are PDC graduates, or will enrol in our PDC, and stay on after graduating to WWOOF and/or teach.

What Permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet” Dr. David Takayoshi Suzuki World renown Japanese-Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist.

Though the problems that face the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple. - Bill Mollison, Father of Permaculture.

It is our collective responsibility to protect and nurture the global family, to support its weaker members and to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live - Dalai Lama.